The most incredible Vegan Lemon Bars, made with just 8 ingredients and lots of tangy lemon flavor! The buttery shortbread crust is absolutely perfect.
Classic lemon bars without any eggs? Yup! Today I’m sharing what I think are the best vegan lemon bars, with the perfect balance of shortbread crust to tart lemon filling. And of course, a generous dusting of powdered sugar on top!
If you are a lemon dessert fan, you will love these little squares of sunshine. And while you’re at it, you might want to try my vegan lemon cake, lemon loaf or 1 bowl lemon cupcakes.
How to make Vegan Lemon Bars:
First, make the crust. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted vegan butter, sugar and salt. Add the flour and stir to combine. It will be thick. Press it into the prepared pan (lined with parchment paper) evenly and smoothly. Bake for 16-18 minutes at 350 degrees F until lightly golden on the edges.
While the crust bakes, make the lemon filling. In a medium saucepan, add the lemon juice, lemon zest if using, sugar, coconut milk and cornstarch (+tiny pinch of turmeric if desired for color). Whisk well to dissolve the cornstarch, and heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens. It should look like the photos below, and can take 5-10 minutes.
Remove from heat, and spread lemon mixture over the crust, evenly, using a spatula if needed. Bake for 15 minutes. Let the bars cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool another 1-2 hours, or overnight.
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Can I make these lemon bars gluten free?
I haven’t personally tried these gluten free, but I think it would work with a quality all purpose gluten free flour mix, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.
How long will vegan lemon bars keep?
They will keep for about a week in a covered container in the refrigerator. They also freeze really well! The powdered sugar will melt into the bars though, so add some fresh when you want to eat or serve them.
Can you make these a day ahead?
Yes, these are the perfect dessert to make a day in advance, as they slice better when they have a lot of time to cool. That being said, they can also be ready in an hour or 2, but they may not be as firm as if you left them overnight.
I hope you LOVE these easy Vegan Lemon Bars! If you are looking for more delicious vegan dessert recipes with a Summer vibe, check these out:
- Vegan Lemon Loaf
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- 1 Bowl Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Strawberry Pie
- Vegan Smores Cookie Bars
Vegan Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread crust:
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Lemon filling:
- 3/4 cup lemon juice from about 4 large lemons
- optional: 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups full fat coconut milk, using mostly the white part
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- tiny pinch of turmeric, optional for color (1/8th teaspoon)
For serving:
- powdered sugar, for dusting the tops
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8 by 8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, add the mix together the melted vegan butter, sugar and salt. Add the flour and stir until combined. The dough will be thick. Press it into the pan with your hands, evenly and firmly. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the edges are very lightly browned. Set aside.
- Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, add the lemon juice, lemon zest if using for even more lemon flavor, sugar, coconut milk and cornstarch + tiny pinch of turmeric for color, if desired. Whisk well to dissolve the cornstarch. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens. (see photos in post above for reference)
- Spread the filling over the crust evenly, using a spatula if needed to smooth. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator for an additional 1-2 hours, or overnight, until set.
- Lift the bars out of the pan with the parchment paper, dust generously with powdered sugar and cut into 16 squares.
- Leftover bars will keep for up to 1 week in a covered container in the refrigerator. They freeze well, too. Enjoy!
Notes
- For gluten free vegan lemon bars, use an all purpose gluten free flour, such as Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.
Nutrition
Hello, I’ve just attempted to make these and I have just realised that I made a mistake! I forgot to bake the crust before putting the lemon on top. It has been baked for 15 mins with the lemon on top, but missed the first 15 minutes.
Now I don’t know what to do. Should I just give up and start again, or is there a way to rescue it…..
I don’t think they will be ruined, the crust will still cook somewhat but it may be a bit underdone. Hopefully they will be okay though! I would just bake them as instructed, then cool them per the instructions. Hope you enjoy them!
So the crust came out good but why is there soo many cups of coconut milk and sugar? It’s way over for the crust!!!! I tripled the crust ingredients for a larger pan and did the regular amount for the lemon filling and I STILL have leftover…like a lot. Am I doing something wrong? Because this is just a disaster!!
Are you using a 8×8 inch pan? There aren’t so many cups of coconut milk and sugar, the recipe calls for 1 and 1/4 cups coconut milk, and 1 and 1/2 cups sugar. Are you misreading the ingredient amounts? It definitely sounds like you are doing something funny here with adding way too much coconut milk and sugar. It all fits perfectly as written, and the bars should be exactly like in my photos. Many people have made these with success and I have people sharing photos of the recipe frequently on social media, they all look like mine. Hope I can help you get to the cause of the issue!
Amazing recipe!
Thank you for sharing your review!
SO GOOD!! Better than any I’ve had. I used 50/50 wheat flour to almond flour which made the crust a bit chewy which I liked. I also only used 1 cup sugar (bc I ran out lol) but somehow the mix still held up well 😀 maybe due to using oat milk instead of almond? I’m not sure. Regardless, AMAZING! Thank you for this recipe <3
Thanks for sharing your terrific review! I’m glad you loved the lemon bars. They are one of my favorites!
We made them gluten free using Bob’s Red Mill and also threw in a teaspoon of Xanthan gum. Worked great.
Thank you for sharing your comments!
These were amazingly good! I used Meyer Lemons for the juice. I served them with a few fresh blueberries on top. Any berry would be nice.
Thanks for sharing your review, Janet! The blueberries sound like a delicious addition!
Made these for Easter Dessert. So delicious! They were pretty easy to make. Thanks Nora! I missed lemon pie since going vegan, and now I have these!!
Hi Camille! Thank you for taking time to share your review! I’m so glad you found something lemony you love!
These look fantastic! We are going to make these for an Easter dessert. Can we double the recipe and use a 9 x 13 pan? By the way, we love your recipes!
Yes, you could double the recipe. They may need a bit longer to cook though, maybe an extra 10 minutes or so in the oven. Thanks, hope everyone enjoys the lemon bars!
These were incredible! So easy, and so good! Doubling the recipe and cooking a little bit longer worked great. These were the perfect blend of tart and sweet, and you couldn’t taste the coconut milk or the turmeric. We’ll definitely be making these again!
Hi Kim. I appreciate you taking your time to share your review and comments! I’m so glad you loved the lemon bars!
These are amazing.
Only criticism is a pinch of tumeric isn’t enough. I think it’s about 3/4 of a tsp. Also for me, it took a while for the filling to thicken. But you say they can last a week in the fridge? Umm no. We finished them in about 1 day.
Love all your recipes.
Hi Tanya. LOL, how long CAN they last vs how long they DO last?! Love it! Thank you for taking time to share your review! I’m glad you guys love the lemon bars!
Instead of trying to use the creamy part of coconut milk, do you think I can use coconut cream?
Yes, that is perfect. Enjoy!
Hi Nora! LOVE your recipes. Make them often. For the lemon bars, could refined coconut oil be used instead of vegan butter? Much thanks ? Louise
Yes, I think that would work quite well. Thank you so much, glad you love the recipes!
Delicious and Addictive! Plate up so pretty! Flavors were spot on. Perfect to bring to a gathering. I’ve tried so many of your recipes and have decided you need “May cause addiction” disclaimer in all your recipie notes.
Hi Carrie! Thanks for sharing your review – I’ll consider the disclaimer! I’m glad you loved the lemon bars!
These were AMAZING! Perfect treat for the 1st day of Spring. This is probably the 10th recipe I have tried of Nora’s, and each one is better than the next. (I thought nothing could top your lemon cake and easy gravy!) Thank you for making super yummy, accessible Vegan recipes. <3
Thanks a lot, Diana, for your kind and great review! It means a lot to me! I’m glad you loved the lemon bars! Happy cooking!
I made these tonight. They were delicious but the crust really fell apart and the filling stuck to the paper so bad. To be fair it was wax paper because I was out of parchment.
Yes, wax paper will not work the same, and I didn’t think it was supposed to go in the oven? With parchment paper, they will not stick.
Nora makes being vegan a dream! This recipe is easy to make and absolutely amazing! Perfect lemon bars!
Thanks Petria! I’m so glad you love the lemon bars. Thank you for sharing your review!
Sooo good! I thought they may be too sweet but they are perfect. No trace of coconut taste (just like your pumpkin pie recipe). Thank you for another perfect recipe!
Thank you for sharing your great review, Shelly! I’m glad you love the lemon bars!
This is absolutey delicous! Best of all, its vegan! Just made this, it came out so pretty and tasty 🙂
I’m so glad the lemon bars turned out great for you, Jane. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for this recipe Nora! I made these today and they are delicious!
I’m glad you found them delicious, Michelle! Thank you for sharing your review!
I made them exactly according to the recipe directions and they’re amazing – so flavourful and easy to make! They taste just like the store-bought lemon squares I used to love before I went vegan (in fact, these may be even better!).
I’m really glad you love the lemon bars, Julia! Thank you for sharing your review!
Do these taste coconutty?
I don’t think so, but if you are very sensitive to the taste of coconut you might detect it.
These were perfect! I realized the pot I was using was too small and deep, and it wasn’t thickening up. I looked back at your pictures for reference, and saw you were using a shallower saucepan (as I think you said to do in your instructions! :). I switched to something shallower and it thickened right up. My family absolutely loved these – thank you!
Hi Heather. I’m glad the lemon bars worked out for you, and that your family loves them! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Lemon squares were delicious. Next time I will cut down on sugar, they were a tad too sweet for my liking 🙂
Made these yesterday and they turned out perfect! I used Bob’s red mill gf flour and I think because of that I had to bake the crust for an extra three or four minutes. After reading some other reviews, I took the lemon mixture off the heat as soon as it started to thicken and the texture of the finished lemon bars was perfect!
I’m so glad these turned out perfect for you, Grace! Thank you so much for sharing your comments!
Great recipe, they were amazing and had me question completely the role of eggs in cooking. Great job really!
The second time around I’ve cut down to just 1/2 cup of lemon juice and 1 cup of sugar, and also replaced half the coconut milk with soy milk and found the flavor more pleasant. Next time I’ll replace the granulated sugar with whole cane, I think that’s going to elevate the flavor even more.
I”m glad you loved the lemon bars, Giulio! Thank you for sharing!
Followed recipe exactly as is with the exception of low fat coconut milk (the only one I had in the house). Turned out great. My powder sugar isn’t sticking well to the lemon part. I’ll test dusting the bars earlier the next time I make it.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you, Sarah! I’m glad you love the lemon bars! Thank you for sharing!